Schulze explains that positive signals can be seen from important countries in this regard. “China, for example, is considering green economic stimulus packages.” Because climate change continues to exist even in times of Corona, the minister must continue to work on climate protection. After the crisis, environmental and climate protection would be all the more needed as a driver for the economy, innovation and employment.

From the perspective of the President of the German Weather Service, Gerhard Adrian, the fight against climate change must not take a back seat. “It would be bad if climate protection was put on the back of the fight against the virus,” said Adrian, who is also chairman of the World Organization for Meteorology (WMO), the German Press Agency. “Climate change is progressing, no matter what else happens – regardless of the corona crisis.” This Monday, international climate talks begin in Berlin. However, because of the pandemic, ministers from around 30 countries are being brought together via video conference.

Not only environmental associations, but also numerous companies are already demanding that economic stimulus programs to cushion the crisis be designed to advance climate-friendly technologies . “The challenge is to reduce CO2, methane and nitrous oxide emissions,” said Adrian. “If the economic system has to change for this, economic stimulus programs in the Corona crisis would of course be an opportunity to combine the two.”

New regulations come into force

Last week the first pupils returned to school in around half of the countries, but only final grades for exams or exam preparation. This will be followed by further high school graduates, vocational school pupils and pupils who are about to graduate from high school in almost all other federal states. The Kultusmisterkonferenz convenes in the afternoon to discuss how to proceed.

From this week on, wearing mask in all of Germany is mandatory in many places of public life . It already applies in some countries, Saxony was a pioneer. Most will follow suit on Monday, the last country to follow on Wednesday is Schleswig-Holstein. The following then applies in the vast majority of countries: in local public transport and when shopping, citizens must wear mouth-and-nose protection. In North Rhine-Westphalia, for example, there are weekly markets, stops, train stations, taxis, medical practices, post offices, banks and petrol stations – in Berlin, on the other hand, the obligation only applies to buses and trains.

The further situation in Germany at a glance:

• In Germany, the Robert Koch Institute had registered more than 155,193 cases of infection with the new corona virus by Saturday evening . According to the information, at least 5,750 people infected with the Sars-CoV-2 pathogen have so far died nationwide (as of April 27, midnight). According to the RKI website, around 114,500 people have recovered .

• Because two families infected with the coronavirus did not comply with the ordered quarantine, the health department in Grevenbroich sealed off an entire high-rise complex with 117 apartments. As a precaution, all 450 residents should be tested for the virus on Sunday – around 375 followed the call.
• North Rhine-Westphalia’s Prime Minister Armin Laschet has dampened expectations of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s next switching conference with the Prime Ministers. “I don’t think we will have any new fundamental decisions on Thursday,” he says on ARD . The main focus will be on the situation for children, adolescents and amateur sports.
• Saxony-Anhalt wants to allow services again from the beginning of May, subject to conditions. The black, red and green state government has agreed on this, said Prime Minister Reiner Haseloff (CDU). The prerequisite for worship services is that the religious communities submit protection concepts in advance and have them approved by the state, said Haseloff.
• The deputy CDU -Vorsitzende Julia Klöckner has advocated, despite the Corona pandemic on the battle candidacy for the succession of Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer at the CDU spike hold. “The corona virus cannot do everything. Democracy shouldn’t take a break, ”the Federal Minister of Agriculture told the newspapers of the Funke media group. On Saturday, a special party congress should have chosen a successor for outgoing party leader Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer.
• The North Rhine-Westphalian family minister Joachim Stamp has pleaded for greater freedom for the federal states in opening day-care centers . “We have different regional developments in the pandemic, to which we also have to be able to react differently regionally,” said the FDP politician to the “Westfälische Nachrichten” and the “Westfalen-Blatt” before the family minister conference scheduled for this Monday. Higher infection rates in Bavaria or Baden-Württemberg are not likely to slow down other countries opening day care centers.
• According to Health Minister Jens Spahn, it may take some time until a Corona warning app is available in Germany . The CDU politician said in the ARD – “Daily Topics” that they wanted to go the path they have now chosen with a decentralized app ” as quickly as possible, but also as securely as possible .” He did not give a specific date.

An overview of the further situation worldwide:

• The real-time map of Hopkins University shows the current worldwide number of infections and victims of the corona pandemic :

• Italy will loosen a number of Corona restrictions from May 4, allowing citizens to do more outdoor sports and exercise in their own region, for example. Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte announced on Sunday evening in Rome when presenting an overall plan for the gradual opening of the country . In Italy, the number of new Covid 19 deaths has fallen again. 260 deaths were reported within 24 hours, according to the relevant agency, the lowest daily value since March 14.
• For the first time in April, the number of coronavirus deaths in the US state of New York dropped to less than 400 in one day. The number of people treated in the hospital after infection with the new corona virus has also decreased, as has the number of people on the ventilator. The economy could start to ramp up gradually after May 15, with declining infection rates, says New York Governor Andrew Cuomo.
• After a four-day curfew in the metropolis of Istanbul and 30 other cities and provinces in Turkey , people are allowed to leave their homes. The ban on going out expired on Monday night. The measure had been in effect since Thursday, a public holiday in Turkey.
• The British Prime Minister Boris Johnson wants a According to media report present his plans for easing the corona restrictions already this week. Before the deadline on May 7, Johnson wanted to present a timetable, reports the “Telegraph”. After your Covid-19 illness, Johnson wants to run government again today.
• Egypt is hoping for help from the International Monetary Fund . The country asked the IMF for “a financial package and technical support,” said Prime Minister Mustafa Madbuli. At first, nothing was known about the amount of the one-year rescue package.
• The Switzerland begins six weeks after the closure of most shops with a loosening of the corona protection measures. From this Monday, hairdressers, cosmetics or nail studios, as well as hardware stores and garden centers are allowed to reopen. Doctors and physiotherapists can also open their practices for non-urgent appointments, and hospitals have been allowed to postpone interventions since the beginning of the crisis.
• The European aircraft manufacturer Airbus has delivered a gloomy assessment of the effects of the coronavirus crisis. In a letter, CEO Guillaume Faury apparently asked the company’s approximately 135,000 employees to prepare for job cuts and far-reaching cost-cutting measures . The survival of Airbus would be at stake if the company did not take any action, Faury said in the internal message on Monday. The aircraft manufacturer has started implementing government-sponsored programs to take leave of around 3,000 workers in France, “but we may now need to plan more far-reaching measures,” said Faury.
• The European Union wants to cover grants for companies affected by the corona virus . As part of a measure proposed by the European Commission , companies could apply for a government loan of up to five percent of their sales for 2019, as a person familiar with the matter said. The amount of the loan could also be up to 40 percent of the beneficiary’s annual labor costs, the insider said.
• The Japanese central bank is taking further steps to combat the economic turmoil caused by the coronavirus crisis. This is intended to calm the financial markets and provide additional liquidity. According to the Bank of Japan (BoJ), more government bonds and corporate bonds are to be bought, among other things.

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Service for entrepreneurs and employees: emergency aid and loans, short-time allowance calculator

• Small businesses and the self-employed in Germany can apply for emergency aid . Many fear a wave of bankruptcies due to the ongoing lockdown. Here you will find all the important information on how companies and the self-employed receive state aid.
• Numerous employees are also affected by short-time work . This short-time work calculator can be used to calculate how much money you receive in short-time work each month .

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• How the Environment Minister wants to protect the climate after the corona crisis
• These government officials decide on billions in aid
• The German economy does not need new subsidies

More: You can find all the latest developments on the coronavirus pandemic in our news blog.